Hand truck



April 13, 1937. J ER 2,077,144

HAND TRUCK Filed June a, 1955 mm; Q minim,

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Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES HAND TRUCK John A. Flicker andCornelius R. Callaghan, Bellevue, Ohio Application June 8, 1935, SerialNo. 25,650

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a hand truck and is an improvement on the typeof truck as comprised in Patent #1313383 granted August 26, 1919.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand truck withmeans made effective by the load placed upon the truck to facilitatepicking up of the load and also maintenance of the load in position uponthe truck.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truck of this kind whichcan be employed to advantage to pick up and convey cylindricalcontainers such as barrels, drums, etc.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts of our improved handtruck whereby certain important advantages are attained and the devicerendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient andadvantageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The novel features of our invention will hereinafter be definitelyclaimed.

In order that our invention may be the better understood, we will nowproceed to describe the 2 same with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a view in perspective illustrating a hand truck constructedin accordance with an embodiment of our invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in front elevation of the truck as hereindisclosed, certain of the parts being omitted for clarity;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional'view taken substantially on the line3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the means hereincomprised for mounting an end portion of the bail as herein embodied.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawing, I denotes the side barsincluded in the frame of a truck and which are provided at their rearwith the handles 2. Depending from the forward end portions of the barsI closely adjacent to but spaced from the forward ends thereof are thebearing arms or brackets 3 each providing a mounting for a wheel 5.While the wheel 5 may be of any type desired we find it of advantagethat the same be of a disk type and be provided with a pneumatic tire B.

As is clearly illustrated in Figure 3, the forward end portion of eachof the side bars I extends forwardly beyond the adjacent applied wheel 5and said extended portion has applied thereover a bearing cap I carryinga roller 8, the axis 9 of 55 said roller 8 being substantially at thetransverse center of the side bar I. This roller 8 as illustrated inFigure 3 extends slightly beyond or forwardly of the bearing cap I fordirect'contact with the floor or other surface as the side bars I arelifted into substantially a vertical position 5 to initially engage theload to be placed upon the truck.

The rollers 8 will materially facilitate the required initialmanipulations of the truck as of course with the bars I in substantiallyvertical 10 position the wheels 5 or more particularly the tires 6thereof will be elevated above such floor or other surface. Slightly inadvance of the bearing arms or brackets 3 the side bars I are connectedby a rigid saddle I0 disposed on a desired downward curvatureparticularly as pertains to its upper edge face and at a point amaterial distance inwardly from the arms or brackets 3 the side bars Iare again connected by a second saddle II similar to the saddle I0. 20These saddles I0 and II support the load placed upon the truck and thecurvature of the upper edge faces is such as to permit the truck to beeffectively used in connection with cylindrical containers, such asdrums, barrels, etc. The curved 5 beds afforded by these saddles I0 andII also allows the truck to be employed with equal facility with barrelsor drums of either a straight or bulged type.

The forward saddle II! in relatively close 30 proximity to its ends isprovided withrthe forwardly directed pairs of lugs I2 and receivedbetween the lugs I2 of each pair is an upstanding plate flange l4carried by the intermediate portion of an elongated arcuate hand ormember I5. 35

The plate I4 of each of the hands or members I5 is positioned rearwardlyof the longitudinal center of said hand or member I5 and is providedwith a slot I6 extending in a general direction lengthwise of the handor member. Directed through this slot I6 is a holding pin I! which isalso directed through the lugs I2 and bridges the space therebetween. Bythis means the hand or member I5 is supported for swinging movement in adirection toward or from the adjacent side bar I.

The rear or inner end portion of the hand or member I 5 is continued byan upstanding arm I8 and the arm I 8 of one hand or member I5 isconnected with a similar arm of the second hand or member I5 by thearcuate saddle member l9 which normally, or when the truck is free ofload, is positioned rearwardly of the forward saddle I I] and at adistance slightly thereabove. This normal position of the saddle I 9 ismaintained by gravity as the weight of the hands or members 45 inadvance of their mountings I1 is sufficient to overcome the weightcarried by said hands or members I5 rearwardly of their mountings ll.

5 The uppermost position of the saddle I9 is determined by contact fromabove of the rear portions of the hands or members I5 with the saddlel0.

Pivotally connected to the side bars I at points 10 preferably closelyadjacent to but slightly in advance of the rear saddle II are the lowerend portions of the upstanding rock arms 29, the

upper end portions of which being pivotally connected, as at 2! with aswinging holding element or bail 22. Also pivotally connected,'as at 2|,

with the outer or upper end portions of the arms 26 are the extremitiesof the straight arms 23 which extend down and across the outer faces ofEach of these arms 23 is slotted,

the side bars I.

as at 24, and directed through the slot is aconventional bolt 25 alsodisposed from within through the adjacent side bar I and coacting withthe outer end portions of the bolt 25 is a conventional speed nut 26.

2 The slotted arm 23 permits a selected swinging adjustment of theassociated arm 28 as may be preferred or required in connection with thecharacter of the load to be placed upon the truck.

The front saddle In at its central part has .3 projecting rearwardlyfrom its lower marginal portion a lug 21 which provides a stop withwhich the saddle l9 contacts from above to limit the upward rearwardswinging movement of the outer or forward end portions of the hands or 1members I5. The barrel, drum or kindred container to be transported bythe truck is initially upended and the truck is advanced in proximity tothe container and then swung upward to a position past the vertical tocause the bail 22 A0 to engage over the upper portion of the container,such upward swinging movement being about the rollers 3 as fulcrums andthe swinging mounting of the hands or members l5 assure no hindrance orobstruction. being offered by said .45 hands or members 65 to thisoperation.

After the bail or holding element 22 has been engaged over the upperportion of the container, the side bars 1 are swung rearwardly and assaid bars extend in advance of the wheels 5 and the tires 6 thereon thisrearward movement 'of the side bars I will permit the forward endportions of the hands or members l5 to be engaged below the lower end ofthe container. As the truck continues to swing downwardly as thecontainer seats upon the saddles I 6 and I I, the forward portion of thecontainer upon the truck or that portion of the container which wasrested upon the floor or other support will contact from above with thesaddle l9 and the weight of the container and its content will result inan automatic upward swinging movement of the forward end portions of thehands or members l5 whereby the container is effectively held in appliedposition upon the truck to facilitate its conveyance from one place toanother. The delivery of the container from the truck may beaccomplished with equal convenience and facility. It is to be noted thateach of the arms 20 in its outer portion is provided with a series oflongitudinally spaced openings 28. This is to provide for a selectiveadjustment of the pivot member 2! as may be desired as an adjustment ispermitted other than that afforded by the endwise adjustment of theassociated arm 23.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a handtruck constructed in accordance with our invention is particularly welladapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which itmay be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that ourinvention is susceptible of some change and modification withoutdeparting from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason wedo not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precisearrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown incarrying'out our invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

We claim:--

1. A hand truck includinga pair of side bars, a saddle interposedbetween and connected to the side bars, ground engaging members carriedby the side bars, hands pivotally engaged with the saddle and extendingforwardly therefrom for coaction with the work to be placed upon thetruck, said hands having rearwardly disposed extensions, and a saddleconnecting said extensions, said saddle of the extensions maintaining aposition above the saddle of thetruck when the truck is free of load,the load when received upon the truck engaging the saddle to swingupwardly the forwardly projecting hands, said hands being free to swingwhen the truck is free of load.

2. A hand truck including a pair of side bars, a saddle interposedbetween and connected to the side bars, ground engaging members carriedby the side bars, hands pivotally engaged with the saddle and extendingforwardly therefrom for coaction with the work to be placed upon thetruck, said hands having rearwardly disposed extensions, a saddleconnecting said extensions, said saddle of the extensions maintaining aposition above the saddle of the truck when the truck is free of load,theload when received upon the. truck engaging the saddle to swingupwardly the forwardly projecting hands, said hands being free to swingwhen the truck is free of load, and means carried by the saddle of thetruck for contact with the saddle of the extensions to limit theswinging movementof the hands in one direction.

JOHN A. FLICKER. CORNELIUS R. CALLAGHAN.

